bout your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices25:T451,Sakkara, Egypt, 2,630BC. A man stands atop a structure of dizzying height as the final block grinds into place. For Imhotep, it is the culmination of his life’s work: a mountain made by man. He checks the joint while his workers wait in silence. Then, he gives a barely perceptible nod. It is done. Imhotep’s pyramid is the first, but more will come. Bigger pyramids, more beautiful pyramids, tombs filled with treasure, chambers inscribed with complex, sacred writings. But what motivated these ancient people to toil for decades over their vast monuments? What purpose did the structures serve? And what mysteries might still remain inside? This is a Short History of Pyramids. Written by Jo Furniss. With thanks to Salima Ikram, Professor of Egyptology at the American University of Cairo. For ad-free listening, exclusive content and early access to new episodes, join Noiser+. Now available for Apple and Android users. Click the Noiser+ banner on Apple or go to noiser.com/subscriptions to get started with a 7-day free trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices26:T659,

Built by Pharaoh Khufu some 4,500 years ago, the Great Pyramid was the first ancient wonder to be built and is the only one still standing. Towering above the Giza Plateau, this stone behemoth was to be Khufu's tomb, the place from which he would travel to the afterlife.

For this episode, Dan is joined by broadcaster and historian Bettany Hughes, author of 'The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World'. She explains how the Great Pyramid was built, what this awesome structure would have looked like at the time, and what it would have meant to the ancient Egyptians.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.

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The Pyramids at Giza